ORANGE PARK – Fifteen minutes was all that was needed to convey the importance and history of Memorial Day at an emotionally-charged ceremony Monday at Magnolia Cemetery.

Hosted by the town of Orange Park, Mayor Randy Anderson said the festivities would be brief due to roasting heat.

Denise Torrefranca, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5968 Commander, emphasized the history of Memorial Day. It’s a topic worth researching, she said.

In Columbus, Georgia, shortly after the Civil War concluded, Mary Ann Williams wrote a letter to a local paper to spur Southern residents to remember veterans who were killed. Williams advocated for an annual holiday. The letter was widely circulated even in the north, Torrefranca said.

Willams' letter resonates today, Torrefranca said.

“They didn’t get to come back home. They didn’t get to be with children and their families,” Torrefranca said. “At the V.F.W, we are committed to those who have paid the ultimate price and we’re also committed to serving the veterans alive today.”

She later read Gen. John A. Logan’s order from 1868 that designated the holiday.

“(Memorial Day) makes me reflect on those who served with me who didn’t get to come home. It makes me realize how grateful I am as an American citizen that we have that,” Torrefranca said after the ceremony. “It is very important that we don’t forget to do that … It’s important because this is what America was founded on."

Orange Park Fire Department Chaplain David Tarkington gave opening and closing invocations. His second prayer focused on remembering veterans interred not only in Magnolia Cemetery but around the nation He urged that the audience see Memorial Day as more than a three-day weekend.

Take time to think on veterans’ sacrifices, Tarkington asked the crowd of about 40 people.

“May we enjoy our freedoms and have fun with our families, enjoy our time whether it’s at a barbeque or the beach or an event,” Tarkington said. “But Lord, may we never take for granted that the freedoms that we have to allow us to experience those times are not freedoms that come without a price. The freedom is not free.”

Afterward, the sun leapt over the trees like Anderson warned and most of the crowd dispersed.

Torrefranca was greeted by 22-year U.S. Navy veteran Greg Donaldson. Having lost friends in the service, the day is meaningful to him. He said his wife’s family also had a strong background in the armed forces. He recalled an emotional retirement ceremony.

“I didn’t want to give it up,” he said.

Memorial Day is special because the military constitutes a small population of the country and most people don’t know what the branches do, he said.

“I think it’s a nice recognition day for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Donaldson said.